Indian Sub-continent

Kanpur: Kanpur- based mimicry artist Arpit Saini posted a picture that said 'Watch the live telecast of my death at 12 o clock' on Facebook on Tuesday. 

The post triggered shock among followers and friends on Facebook, one of whom has reportedly alerted the police.

Finding his phone number from his friend, the police rushed to search Arpit Saini.

The Police Station House Officer Amit Bhadana kept him engaged him in a phone conversation till the police reached his residence.

New Delhi, Feb 9 (PTI) As many as 610 Kashmiri Pandits were given back their properties left behind in Jammu and Kashmir following eruption of militancy there in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said in the Rajya Sabha that 3,000 state government jobs were created for Kashmiri migrants under the Prime Minister's Development Package-2015 (PMDP-2015) with an outlay of Rs 1,080 crore.

New Delhi, Feb 8 (PTI) About 5,8000 NGOs, which did not submit their applications for renewal of FCRA registration, deemed to have ceased to exist according to law.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said in Lok Sabha that FCRA registration of a total of 1,811 NGOs have been cancelled during the last three years - from 2019 to 2021.

Lucknow, Feb 8 (PTI) Electioneering ended Tuesday evening for the first phase of assembly polls in western Uttar Pradesh after a busy day during which the ruling BJP and the main opposition Samajwadi Party released their manifestoes.

Polling will take place for 58 assembly constituencies spread across 11 districts, out of the 403 seats in the state, on Thursday.

Under Election Commission guidelines, campaigning has to end 48 hours before the close of polls for each phase.

New Delhi, Feb 8 (PTI) As many as 4,844 foreigners were granted the Indian citizenship in the last five years under the Citizenship Act 1955, Union Minister Nityanand Rai said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Rai, the Union Minister of State for Home, said 1,773 foreigners were granted the Indian citizenship in 2021, 639 in 2020, 987 in 2019, 628 in 2018 and 817 in 2017.

The Indian citizenship is governed under the provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955, he said in a written reply to a question.

Panaji, Feb 8 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party leader Amit Palekar on Tuesday said the BJP's manifesto for the Goa Assembly elections was a "scam".

Goans will not fall for the ruling party's promises, said Palekar, the AAP's chief ministerial candidate.

The 22-point manifesto of the BJP is nothing but a scam, he told reporters.

To fulfill ten promises made ten years ago, the BJP is asking people to vote for it for another five years, Palekar said.

Mumbai, Feb 8 (PTI) Ahead of the monetary policy announcement on Thursday wherein the MPC is likely to begin liquidity tightening with a marginal reverse repo hike, states on Tuesday had to pay a higher price to bond investors as the weighted average cut-off rate jumped by a hefty 41 basis points to 7.24 per cent.

In the previous auction of State Development Loans (SDLs) last Tuesday, the cut-off was only 6.83 per cent.

Gurugram, Feb 8 (PTI) The Haryana Chief Minister's Flying Squad has raided a diagnostic lab accused of preparing fake coronavirus reports, officials said on Tuesday.

The team nabbed a lab assistant while the operator managed to flee.

The lab allegedly charged Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 to issue COVID-19 positive or negative reports.

They also charged Rs 900 for Covid test even as the rate of the test is capped at Rs 299 when a person opts to get it done at a lab.

An FIR in this regard has been registered at DLF Phase-3 police station.

Leh, Feb 8 (PTI) Army has flown 16 metric tonnes of vegetables to Ladakh from Chandigarh on Tuesday to ensure adequate supply during extremely cold climatic conditions, officials said.

The first winter fresh vegetable consignment supply to the public through the cooperative societies was flagged-off today by Secretary, Cooperative, Ladakh, Ravinder Kumar from the cooperative cold storage at Agling.

Kumar said that a total of 16 metric tonnes load has been received today through the Army Air Service (AAS) for both Leh and Kargil districts.

Hyderabad, Feb 8 (PTI) Alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "insulted Telangana" with his comments in Parliament over the state's formation, the ruling TRS called for protests across the state on Wednesday.

TRS Working President K T Rama Rao asked his party workers to organise protests with black flags and burn effigies of the BJP, a TRS release said.

Rama Rao tweeted alleging that the PM insulted the "decades of spirited struggle and sacrifices of the people of Telangana" with his comments.